Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson labels team ‘abysmal’

ALAN PATTULLO

Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson has labelled his side’s performance in the 3-0 defeat by Motherwell as “abysmal” and “wholly unacceptable” and issued an apology to supporters.

The home defeat on Tuesday means United are 13 points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership with 13 games remaining.

They have won just twice in the league under manager Mixu Paatelainen, who replaced Jackie McNamara in October.

Thompson issued a statement in which he admitted he and the board had made mistakes and revealed the club had the third highest wage bill in the division.

He challenged the United players to redeem their professional reputations in the season’s remaining fixtures.

Thompson said: “As Chairman of the Club, I would like apologise to all Dundee United supporters for the abysmal performance last night against Motherwell. The current position at the bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership is wholly unacceptable. It is not where Dundee United should be under any circumstance.

“The board and myself have made certain decisions in the last 18 months which in hindsight were incorrect but were made for the greater good of the Club and with the ambition of maintaining our position at the top of Scottish football, something we have done successfully for the last eight years. This included supporting a playing squad that commands the third highest wage bill in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

“However, we have failed miserably on the pitch with only three wins in 25 league matches and an early exit from the League Cup. Performances such as last night simply cannot be tolerated. The current playing squad now have thirteen matches to preserve the Club’s premiership status and redeem their own professional reputations.”